Microsoft’s cloud-based game streaming service, Project xCloud, will soon be usable by members of the public. Microsoft announced during today’s Inside Xbox livestream that the public Project xCloud preview release date will arrive sometime in October. The public preview will be available in the U.S., the U.K., and South Korea.
Sign-ups for the Project xCloud public preview are available today. Users can head to xbox.com/gamestreaming to sign up. According to Kareem Choudhry, the corporate vice president of Project xCloud, preview participant selection will “start small” and then “continually expand over time.” Those who participate in the preview will be able to preview four first-party Xbox One games using Project xCloud’s streaming capabilities: Halo 5 Guardians, Gears 5, Sea of Thieves, and Killer Instinct. The addition of Killer Instinct will help serve as a test of Project xCloud’s reliability, since any noticeable input lag would be a huge detriment to fighting games. Choudhry noted that Project xCloud is not a separate ecosystem from the Xbox One, so saves and other data will transfer over. This means, for example, players can play some of Halo 5‘s campaign and then pick up where they left off via Project xCloud.
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The Project xCloud preview will be Android only at launch, meaning iOS users will have to wait to get their hands the service. Along with an Android phone, users will also need an Xbox One controller. The preview will utilize both WiFi and cellular network data. Choudhry said Project xCloud will be playable with any provider, though Microsoft is “working especially close” with T-Mobile in the U.S., Vodafone in the U.K., and SK Telecom in Korea.
In addition to the cloud-based Project xCloud, Microsoft will also introduce console streaming. This will stream games to your mobile device from your Xbox console rather than through Microsoft’s cloud computing. Console streaming won’t be a part of October’s public preview.
